Young Southern Chefs to Watch

Notable Southern chefs weigh in on who they see as the new crop of chefs to follow

Sean Brock

Thursday marks the kickoff of the second annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, a weekend of fried chicken, bourbon, pimento cheese, and tons of great food made by some of the best chefs in the South. The festival is the brainchild of co-founders Elizabeth Feichter and Dominique Love, who recently shared the highlights and challenges of 2011's Atlanta Food & Wine Festival and discussed the new talent and events scheduled for the upcoming Atlanta Food & Wine 2012. With the attention of food media turning to the South, it's time to get the scoop about young chefs on the rise that have recently been making names for themselves.

There's perhaps no one better suited to weigh in than eight of the South's best, most well-respected chefs, many of whom are on the festival's advisory council. Following are answers from David Guas, Shaun Doty, Linton Hopkins, Anthony Lamas, Norman Van Aken, Kelly English, Sean Brock, and Ford Fry about who they think you should look out for.